The Light of Hope
by dingchavez1984
Summary: A night in the jungle brings Luke and Leia closer together. Luke and Leia pairing.
1. Default Chapter

**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Star Wars or it's characters, I am just borrowing them for a moment to sate my writing desires. Please, please don't sue me, I have nothing to offer you even if you do.**

**The Light of Hope**

Darkness consumed the light, everywhere you looked it seemed that night had fallen, but in the darkest corner stood a beacon of hope that shone through the storm of darkness and beckoned you to touch it.

This light could be seen from thousands of miles, hundreds of planets, but only one person saw it up close. She was offered the god's ambrosia, a taste of sainthood, the light could not be extinguished by mere mortals, although the mere words of the maiden could reduce it to ash.

Princess Leia was a sensible person and knew that one could not fall in love so easily, there first must be courtship and dating, months of trial and error, but all this seemed insignificant when she gazed upon the light.

"Leia? Leia? Princess are you alright? Do you need to see a doctor?" Awakened from her stupor Princess Leia stared into the sky blue eyes of her savior, "Wha…oh I am fine Luke, just wondering about some things…don't worry about me."

"If you say so Princess, but be careful, there is danger all over this planet. I would recommend a guide or bodyguard for you."

"That sounds like a good idea Luke, how bout it? Would you like to come walking with me?" Blushing like a tomato in it's prime Luke could only nod his head and wish that he didn't make of fool of himself during their stroll.

"Well, off we go then. Where shall we go first Luke? I have never been this far into the jungle before, would you mind leading the way?"

"Of course Princess, follow me."

'I would follow you to the end of the universe Luke, I cannot stop the feelings that corrode my very soul.'

While walking through the dense forest, Luke used the time to wonder how he came to be in this situation. 'From a simple farm boy to a legendary hero, the universe must be playing a joke on me. How can a mere farm boy hope to battle the Empire? The task is too great for any one man, but it seems the task has fallen into my lap, what I do with it will determine the way billions of people live their lives. No pressure Luke, no pressure.'

Although he might be in deep thought Luke knew his way around this section of the jungle, he had patrolled it enough times that he could walk around with his eyes closed. "This is beautiful Luke, how did you ever find it?"

"Oh, well…I heard the sound of running water and decided to check it out. When I finally found the location of the noise it lead me straight here. I agree it is very pretty but it is only a lake."

"Only a lake, this lake is bigger than some palaces in Aldoraan, let's head deeper into the valley."

"Sure, but be careful the rocks are slippery and loose. I suggest we head down this treaded path, thus we can get to the lake in about an hour."

"Why? I mean we could just climb down these rocks and be there in 5 minutes."

"I wouldn't recommend it Princess, those rocks are far too loose."

"Come on Luke, where is your sense of adventure?"

"I think I left it in my other pair of pants, so how about the trail?"

"You can take the trail, I'll use the shortcut." Lowering her body down the cliff Leia found footholds and started the arduous task of descending the rocky wall.

'Nobody listens to me, guess I'm not much of a leader after all.' Hastily descending down the cliff Luke watched Leia with apprehension, "Be careful Princess, the drop is very steep."

"I will be fine Luke, worry more about yourself. I mean how hard can…this..beeee.ahhhh" Without finishing her thought Leia missed her last foothold and plummeted toward the water below.

"Leia!" Wasting no time Luke jumped off and dived toward the intrepid princess, 'This is going to be close, hopefully I can make it in time.' Weaving his arms around her Luke arranged it so that he would take the brunt of the fall.

Crashing into the water Luke held onto Leia as tight as he could but soon succumbed to a pain induced slumber.

**(An hour later)**

Upon awakening Luke found himself tightly wrapped in his coat and some sort of blanket, "Whoa…what happened? And why does my head feel like it was drilled by a droideka?"

"Luke! Your awake, thank the gods, are you alright? Does anywhere else feel sore?"

"Leia, I am fine. How are you? No cuts or bruises I hope."

"No, no I am fine. But, I am truly sorry for the way I acted Luke. It put us both in danger, it was childish and stupid. Unbecoming of a princess or a maiden, I hope you accept my apology with the deepest regards."

"Of course I forgive you, there is no need for such formality Princess, I mean I am just a lowly farm boy."

"That is not true Luke, you are my savior, and you have done it on more than one occasion. I believe that calls for a reward to the rescuer." Crawling toward Luke, Leia straddled him and soon engulfed his lips with a passionate kiss.

"I know it is not much, but I hope it will due for now my savior."

"Umm…wow! I mean there is no need to thank me Princess, it was my pleasure and honor. But umm…could you move? I kind of feel a little tight there."

Looking down Leia found the source of his discomfort, "Oh of course, how rude of me. Again my apologies Luke." Tinged with a crimson hue Leia removed herself from Luke's loins.

"Thank you, so what do we do now?"

"Well, you do nothing. You can't move around in your condition, I will build a fire and try to catch some dinner."

"I am fine Princess, let me help, I can cook grilled fish on a stick." Smiling at his innocence and charm Leia could not help but give in and let him help her build the fire and catch the fish.

**(Some hours later)**

"That was a wonderful meal Luke, I am stuffed."

"Thank you Princess, but it was all due to your extraordinary fishing skills that we could eat such fine food tonight."

"Oh stop that, you know as well as I do that you caught all the fish."

"That is not true Princess, I mean you caught one."

"Do you mean the fish that got caught in my pants? It was only a baby, we couldn't eat it."

"Aside from that, I couldn't have done it without you. Now let's get some rest, we'll set out for base tomorrow."

"Sounds good to me." With that said Leia curled up alongside Luke and nuzzled into the grooze between his shoulder and chest.

"Umm…Princess…Do we have to sleep this close?"

"Of course silly, I mean you wouldn't want me to catch a cold would you?"

"Certainly not, but there must be some other way."

"I see no other alternative, unless you would like to remove your clothing and sleep with our skin touching one another."

"NOOO…I mean this is fine. Good night Princess."

"Goodnight Luke, my savior" Delivering another passion filled kiss Leia then snuggled into Luke's embrace.

"Umm…yeah…good night."

**Author's Notes: Well this is a new thing for me, but I can't help it. It just came to me while I was watching the 3 pack DVD's. Anyways, Read and review! Please, please??? Peace I'm out.**


	2. Thoughts

**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Star Wars or it's characters, I am just borrowing them.**

**The Light of Hope**

Sunlight filtered through the canopy leaves, permeating the very air with the smell of morning. Luke was used to waking up early, farming was a strenuous occupation, he rose to find that he could not move either his arms or legs. The induced paralysis was not due to any long held ailment of his, but the slumbering form of Princess Leia of Alderaan.

'No wonder I felt so warm last night, I can't believe she stayed with me the whole night. Hopefully, she got some rest, I can't imagine my stench helped any.' Trying to extract himself from the iron grip of Princess Leia was easier said than done. 'Damn, she's got quite a grip, I wonder if she trains regularly?'

Succumbing to the inevitable, Luke tried to rest more of the blankets on top of the prone maiden. 'At least she won't catch a cold, but I really wish she hadn't picked that exact spot to leave her leg.' Having a knee pushing into your groin was not the best feeling a male could experience, but it did cause certain portions of the body to tense up rather nicely.

'Well nothing I can do, I guess a few more hours of sleep couldn't hurt. Hopefully, we can get back to base as soon as possible.'

Although Luke was determined to fall back asleep his baser instincts would not let him, 'Damn all those early mornings, I can't get back to sleep. Might as well enjoy it, I mean how often does a princess sleep next to a farm boy?'

Luckily for Luke, Leia awoke at the constant shifting of his body. 'Hmm…why is it so warm here? And why does the ground feel so soft?'

"Good morning Princess, I am sorry if I awakened you."

'Oh, Damn forgot about last night, well time to face the music.'

"Good morning to you as well Luke, what time is it?"

"I believe it is half past 8, would you like to break camp and head to the base?"

'No, I would rather stay here in the warmth of your embrace, but I can't really say that can I?'

"Of course, let me freshen up and we will be on our way." Removing herself from the warmth of Luke's body, Leia moaned and shivered involuntarily. "Take the blankets Princess, it is much too cold for you to be walking around that way."

"You are most generous Luke, thank you. Won't you be cold then?"

"I will be fine Princess, thank you for your concern though." Smiling at Luke, Leia went in search of a location to wash her face and brush her teeth. "Be careful, Princess."

"I will be fine Luke, make sure that we don't leave anything here, okay?"

"As you command, Princess." Sighing at his formality Leia nonetheless smiled at his charm. 'That man will never understand how much his actions amuse and warm my heart.'

While Leia was busy cleaning up, Luke was doing some cleaning of his own. Dousing the fire, and making sure that he had not left anything behind. 'That should be all of it, hmm…the blankets almost forgot about them. Well I can get them when the Princess comes back.'

Suddenly without warning a scream echoed throughout the valley, 'That sounded like the princess, damn it all, I knew I should have went with her.' Racing through the jungle at a breakneck pace, Luke would seem a blur to the casual eye. 'I hope to all that is good in this world that she is safe.'

Accelerating even faster Luke soon was tearing the leaves off the trees as he passed, what he found when he located the princess was something that would be with him for the rest of his life.

Luke witnessed a scene that seemed surreal, the Princess of Alderaan was wrestling with some form of otter. It seemed the otter took the last visages of the Princess's clothes, leaving the helpless maiden in her undergarments.

"Luke, don't just stand there, give me a hand!"

"Hmm…wha..oh of course Princess. I will be right with you." Wrestling against an otter may seem simple but both Luke and Leia used all the energy they had to retrieve her clothing. "That was one tough otter, I wonder what he wanted with you clothes though Princess?"

"I believe he was searching for the candies that were inside my jacket, they probably smelled wonderful to it." Nodding his head Luke soon found his gaze directed at the scantily clad princess, "Ahem…my face is up here Luke, Luke?"

Blushing madly at his error of judgment, Luke apologized profusely even going so far as to bow so low he touched the ground. "Get up Luke, the scolding was merely in jest, I know you meant no harm. Let me get changed and we can go on with our business."

Nodding furiously, Luke turned quickly and walked back to their camp. 'Wow, what a strange incident, first a rabid otter then jokes from the princess. I wonder what will happen next?'

Having nothing to do, Luke took the time to train in the use of the Force. 'Ben told me to trust in the Force, to trust in my feelings? I did it when he was around, but how will I ever learn without him? Ben, why did you have to leave? There was so much more you could have taught me, why? Why does everyone I ever care about suffer because of me?'

Hanging his head in shame Luke could find no answers to his deepest of fears, it seemed the light in him flickered and waned as time goes by. Even the most powerful forces must have support, no one person can be an island. One must have friends and family to care for him/her, people who would listen to your problems and not make fun of you for simple mistakes. 'But what is the use? I mean if I do find such a great family, they will only suffer needlessly because of me. It seems I am destined to be alone, alone and forgotten, much like all the great heroes in time.'

Feeling even worse than before, Luke looked at his light saber, 'One stab would do it, no one would mind, why should more people suffer for my existence?'

'Because you are the last hope of the universe, though you wish for death there are many in the universe that see you as the only beacon of light in a dark world that grows ever more sinister. Believe in your ability to protect yourself and your loved ones, because someone who has something to fight for, fights all the greater. And with the evil you face, it will take all the power you have inside yourself to defeat it.'

'Ben? Is that you?'

'I have always been here Luke, and I will continue to stay by your side. As I told Vader, if you strike me down I will come back all the greater. What he doesn't know is that I live through you Luke. You who I have rested all my hopes on, please do not take your life so lightly. I wish you peace and happiness, whether they come to fruition or not is entirely up to you.'

"Luke? Are you alright?"

Snapping awake from his mental conversation with the late Obi-wan Kenobi, Luke found the Princess standing before him clothed and irritated.

"I have been calling you for the past 5 minutes, are you alright?"

"Yes, Princess. I am fine. Shall we get underway?"

'Thank you Ben, for teaching me there is something I should be fighting for.' With a meaningful glance in Princess Leia's direction, Luke promised himself that he would protect her with all of his strength. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I am fine Princess. Follow me."

**Author's notes: Well there goes chapter 2, how are you liking the story so far? Anyways, please Read and Review…please??? Peace I'm out.**


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